The 8th General Assembly of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace is at present meeting at Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Chair, Religions for Peace Australia, Prof. Desmond Cahill is one of the Vice Presidents of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace. Prof. Cahill provides an account of the days happenings on Day 1 of the Assembly.
Yesterday the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace opened with a kaleidoscope of traditional Korean dance and music led by a small orchestra of male musicians playing traditional instruments followed by a short Jaebimori performance according to Korean custom. As is the ACRP tradition, a bell was struck eight times to represent the eight time zones covered by the nation members of ACRP to mark the official opening. Prayers from the different religious traditions were recited begging for peace as well as prayers for deceased members, including two Australians Cyril Hally and Doug Dargaville.
In the opening declaration, Dr Sunggong Kim (the outgoing Secretary General) suggested that “our harmony shall create a beautiful unity like an orchestra. Asia’s diversity is like a rainbow. Greetings were received by many world leaders, including the Korean president and Pope Francis as well as Ban-Ki Moon who worried about extreme violence – “against this disturbing trend we can take heart from the constructive efforts of religious leaders who deplore violence, encourage tolerance and act for the greater good“.
In the afternoon meeting of the General Assembly, Myanmar was formally admitted as a member of ACRP as was Malaysia but on the proviso that its structure better reflect the country’s diversity.
Link to Programme of the 8th General Assembly, Asian Conference, Religions for Peace. (PDF)
